Source: The Washington Times

By Aaron Blake

President Trump invoked “racism, bigotry and white supremacism” in his speech Monday about the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio. That’s a step he has resisted taking in the past when perpetrators of violence have demonstrated those characteristics, so it was notable.

But the bulk of his comments suggested the hateful ideology described in the El Paso shooter’s alleged online screed was merely a byproduct of other things — with mental illness being chief among them. “If you look at both of these cases, this is mental illness,” he said Sunday. “These are really people that are very, very seriously mentally ill.”

This is part of a demonstrated pattern for Trump, but it’s one that often gets ahead of the evidence. And there is one conspicuous instance in which the pattern doesn’t hold: when the perpetrator of such atrocities is Muslim.

After at least nine high-profile or mass shootings, Trump has quickly pointed the finger at mental health. Here’s a recap of seven others, besides El Paso and Dayton:

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